MCALLEN, Texas - Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Nursing Education and Research Building.
Key attendees included Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar, Texas A&M University Interim President Tommy Williams, Texas A&M Health Interim Chief Operating Officer Dr. Indra K. Reddy, Texas A&M Higher Education Center at McAllen Chief Operating Officer and Associate Vice President Ernest Aliseda, and State Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, along with numerous public officials and community leaders.
Here is a video interview the Rio Grande Guardian secured with Bonnie Rush, the Carl B. King dean of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences at Texas A&M:
The NERB is a three-story, 53,000 square foot facility located in McAllen, Texas, and is the second building within Texas A&M’s Higher Education Center. Positioned on the eastern edge of the proposed central quad, it occupies a prominent location on the expanding campus. The total project cost was approximately $47.2 million, funded by Texas A&M University, the Health Science Center, and $29.9 million in capital construction project funding, formerly known as Tuition Revenue Bonds (TRBs), supported by Senator Hinojosa during a special session in 2021.
Texas A&M officials say the building is designed to meet the growing demand for nursing education in the region, featuring flexible general instruction spaces, teaching laboratories, administrative offices, and student areas. The simulation laboratories, they point out, include two large skills labs and various patient care spaces, providing students with a unique hands-on learning experience. These patient care rooms will simulate real-world scenarios using live patient 'actors.'
The officials also point out that the building has dedicated space for the Veterinary Medicine program to enhance the research and outreach initiatives of the School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. They say this new space is important for faculty members from the VetMed College Station campus, focusing on transborder infectious diseases, large animal biosecurity, zoonotic diseases, veterinary public health, and bilingual public education in South Texas. The allocated space includes a BSL2 laboratory, telemedicine studios connected to the Small Animal Teaching Hospital in College Station, a conference room, offices, work and break rooms, student workspaces, a server room, and a reception area.
